I am currently in the midst of an awesome toys storm! This week has seen the arrival of a Macbook, Crumpler Backpack and I just picked up my M3 DS Simply from the post office. With a Numark AVM02 arriving tomorrow, I’m worried that I’ll become paralysed by the sheer weight of cool techy stuff. […]

“I would rather have a robot singing our songs than myself.” So explains the lead singer vocoder user for the electro-rock band Shout Out Out Out Out on a new feature on CBC Radio 3. The new program takes on gadget love among musicians. “Our resident gear-freak Tariq Hussain gets the skinny on some of […]

There are two basic ways to approach computer music making: work with a system that’s already built for you (think traditional sequencers), or build your own, modular, unique way of working. Both approaches can be valid, but for a small but dedicated band of hard-core computer musicians, only the latter will do. The Buzz project […]

Music tech gear rarely surfaces in the mainstream. I never saw a Roland Juno and Cubase on Seinfeld. The Hercules DJ Controller did make it onto a recent episode of “24”, however, says CDM reader DJ Klachik: I was just watching the 5th season of “24” on DVD, and in chapter 21, I saw this […]

DIY Audio Projects has a selection of build-it-yourself tube amps, tube preamps, speakers and subwoofers, all using really cheap parts. If you’ve ever fancied constructing audio gear, this could be a good place to start. Via MAKE:blog and CDM’s designer onetonnemusic. We’ve covered DIY stuff before, but if you have your own resource for schematics […]

Lack the budget and space to collect vintage analog synths? Michel Le Stum is selling custom kits for creating your own, entirely out of paper: SDIYCUT: Synthesizer Do it Yourself, via synth fetish blog Matrixsynth (sorry, Matrix; I’m a couple of weeks behind but was getting ready for an exam that week!) 15 EUR each, […]

The 2007 way of promoting your VJing: giving away clips. So while we’re on the subject of legal, free clips to use in your next visual set (classic movies were the subject last week), this week: 68 Vintage Fairlight VJ Loops by VJzoo (2007) [Archive.org, from VJzoo.com Get ready for some grungy, glitchy 80s electro-style […]

Patching, programming visually by connecting virtual patch cords between onscreen objects, has generally been the domain of the few. Max/MSP/Jitter and Pd lovers and modular soft synth fans all patch regularly. But the mainstream audience? Now, Yahoo is letting you “remix” and “mash-up” RSS feeds from the Web, and guess what interface they’re using? Yahoo […]

The creators of Fruity Loops aka FL Studio (Image Line software) have just announced a new DJ application called DeckaDance, and this thing looks like the answers to our prayers. We here at CDM love applications that don’t tie you into a specific controller/hardware/control vinyl solution. DeckaDance seems to have everything we’ve ever wanted in […]

No official changelog yet, but Ableton has released a 6.0.5 update to Live. (See latest versions to download, provided you’re registered.) This version appears to resolve some of the bigger issues with Vista. Given good experience from some users with SONAR and FL Studio 7 and audio drivers, that could make it worth trying out […]